


NRC Days - When Eels Fly

by HoshiYuki



Series: Night Raven College Days - Shorts [1]
Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, Light-Hearted, POV Second Person, Slice of Life, gender-neutral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23594317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoshiYuki/pseuds/HoshiYuki
Summary: Start of a collection of one-shots (both with and without reader) depicting days at Night Raven College. Think of the game's character stories.Chapters1 - When Eels Fly2 - When Eels Fly with VipersSummary:The twins are not happy with extracurricular flying classes. Lucky for them, you’re pretty good with eels and brooms.
Series: Night Raven College Days - Shorts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747123
Comments: 1
Kudos: 88





	1. When Eels Fly...

**Author's Note:**

> As I'm playing the game, some ideas may pop up that have nothing to do with my other stories but could still be fun to work out. So I'm making a drabble series for those one-shots.
> 
> Originally I intended all shorts to be separate chapters in one and the same story, but my sub stories started developing plot and length and generally decided they wanted to be sort of stand-alone entities.
> 
> It seems they take place in the same universe as Fishy Business and Catty Distractions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed Jade’s in-game chibi looking utterly scared during the flying classes (and even Floyd has a second of panic when he lifts off). Add to that some of his comments (like Jade's remark that he’s at least doing a little better than Azul - while at the same time suggesting BOTH are still bottom of the barrel) and the little scene below popped info my head.

“Telling a fish to fly. What an idea...”

“Jade, did you forget flying fish actually exist?”

“They do not use brooms!”

“Not what you-”

“Floyd, I’m _trying_ to concentrate!”

Up until a few minutes ago, you had been flying up in the sky to your heart's content. And then you picked up the Leech siblings' argument and realized they hadn't spent a second in the air since class had started. Which was over half an hour ago. Now you were hovering a good twenty meters over them, close enough to able to hear their words clearly. It was quite surprising, really, to hear the normally so collected Jade act this frazzled. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he had a fear of heights.

The mere thought of being afraid to fly filled you with emotion. The freedom of the sky. The wind whipping at your skin. Sitting on your broom, sturdy and reliable, reaching speeds that mocked your best running records. To think some people might not experience that pleasure was horrifying...

There wasn’t anything you didn’t like about flying.

No. There actually was one thing that irked you: the fact that second years were only allowed to fly under supervision.

So when the school set planned extra practice hours - obligatory for nearly all students who were failing flying ("nearly all", because Azul had somehow managed to get exempt) - you had jumped at the opportunity to join. The one condition was that you assisted any students who needed help.

It seemed like you'd need to fulfill your part of the bargain today.

From your spot in the sky, you saw Ashton run up to his only two students still on the ground. “Leech twins! What’s all this about?! Get up in the air. Now.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yet, even with the enthusiastic affirmation, Jade’s feet stayed firmly on the ground.

A glance at Ashton’s face told you you had very little time to save the two moray eels from becoming sushi. “I’m on it, sir,” you shouted while you skillfully, silently, guided your broom over to the twins.

“We’re fine,” Jade called out to you even before you had landed. “We’ll call if we require your assistance.”

Making sure you caught his eye, you glanced over your shoulder to Ashton's retreating back, before throwing Jade a meaningful look. You lifted your eyebrow to silently drive your point home.

Jade stubbornly looked away.

Floyd, on the other hand, waved you down towards him. “Watch me,” he said, showing you his trademark grin before a look of concentration washed over his face.

Resolutely, he took his broom and pushed off from the ground. You didn’t miss the split second his eyes went wide before he managed to stabilize the broom in the sky. His posture was a little shaky and he was moving his hips as if he couldn’t get comfortable, but in all, he was up in the air. His joyful exclamations had you wonder why he hadn't done this before catching the blunt of Ashton's anger.

Before you could compliment Floyd on a job well done, he moved his gravitational center to the right of his broom. Hooking his left knee around the bottom part of the broom while holding the top with his left hand, he called out to his brother. “Whee! This is fun! Jade! Come on up~ It’s so nice here!”

It was only after you heard his words, did it register that he had _intentionally_ let himself fall off.

_Well, it could've been worse._

Never one to disappoint, Floyd's pleasured tone quickly turned to fright. “I’m slipping!”

You had to fight back a groan, burying your face in your hands at the display. _You’re literally two meters above Jade… And that posture is exactly why you’re so prone to falling. Oh pixies, what do I do with you…_

Shaking your head, you guided your broom underneath Floyd’s right foot to push him back onto his own broom. You were in half a mind to suggest him to sit aside his broom, rather than astride. A multitude of mental images of the youth sliding off on either side, breaking various body parts by landing face first in the ground or breaking his neck by falling over backwards, made you think twice. Nope. Best let him figure that one out himself.

Meanwhile, Jade had managed to get astride his broom with proper posture, though with both feet still firmly in the grass and his gaze just as firmly on a heap of dirt in front of him.

Who said progress needed to be rapid? Now, how to get him in the air.

“Floyd! Could you fly forward till you’re above those trees?” You pointed at a group of tall pine trees further down the training field - right in front of Jade.

“Sure~” The near blinding speed at which Floyd flew away send a chill through you. Hadn’t he been shifting left and right on his broom just a moment ago? How does he move so steadily and fluidly now?

You pushed the thought away. What mattered now was that Floyd was in position. After giving the expressive twin a quick thumbs up, you gently floated down towards Jade.

“Jade, Floyd is hanging rather precariously over those trees...” Your tone was suggestive. Honestly, you didn’t need to fake much of your worries. One glance at Floyd told you he somehow only managed to stay safely on a moving broom.

It didn’t matter. Jade did exactly what you hoped he would do; redirect his attention from the ground below to the sky above. It was nearly comic to see how wide his eyes went, before he pushed off with surprising strength and speed.

“Floyd, do be careful! Those trees look awfully prickly.”

You closed your eyes for a moment. You most certainly preferred Jade’s normal snark over whatever his current state of mind…

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” you started, making sure you were flying higher than the twins as to prevent their attention from shifting to the ground, “both of you are flying. Keep a hold of those brooms and you needn’t worry about prickly trees.”

The clearing was silent except for the sound of other second years whooping in glee or crashing to the ground.

Tentatively, Jade flew closer to his twin, face tense in concentration. When he finally hoovered stably next to his mirror image, he let out a deep breath.

“That was pretty decent.” You felt like trying your luck. Even if the remark angered him, there was no way he was going to chase you down here in the sky.

“Well, I’m still doing better than Azul...”

 _Yeah, though both of you still suck at this._ You didn’t speak the thought out loud, though. There was trying your luck and then there was being suicidal. You wouldn’t be safe up in the sky all day.

“Class dismissed! Go train your bodies some more, guppies!”

Helping the flying eels down, you regretted you couldn’t have flown some more. _Well, at least they made some progress_.

Your thoughts were interrupted by Floyd slipping off of his broom with a cry.

_Oh well._


	2. When Eels Fly with Vipers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've been flying with the eels for a few weeks now.  
> However, adding a snake into the mix while subtracting the right teaching tools does not equal a focused flying class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the first chapters for Scarabia released this week, a little thought popped up. I think the eels are going to play a role in the new story - their magic would certainly be useful.
> 
> In other news - I’m splitting up the drabbles into a series of oneshots (or two-shots). This story being the first in the series.  
> I have been working on two other ideas and both became pretty serious. They went all over the place in themes, plots and style, and ended up around 5000 words each...  
> Part two in the series "Like a Robot Takes to Water" is a sort of continuation to this story (same universe, same reader character) but can be read stand-alone.
> 
> Also note that the below chapter hasn't been re-worked to death.  
> I simply wanted to post this so I could work on the other stories and ((finally)) share them.

“Come on, Floyd, pick up the pace. We’ll be late.”

“But I don’t feel like flying today.”

“For once I agree...” you mumbled in response to Floyd, ignoring the look Jade threw you.

The three of you were on your way to the sports field for one of the supplementary flying lessons, but one look at the sky made you want to turn around and run for cover. That morning had seen heavy rain and even now there were some dark rain clouds in the sky near the castle.

While you enjoyed being in the air, flying in the rain was one of your least favorite activities. Cold, soaked through clothing, bad vision, and risk of slipping were not pleasant in the least. Obviously Floyd’s reason for not wanting to fly was simply him not being in the mood, but you couldn’t help but share his sentiments. The only reason you were attending today was because you had promised to help the eels practice flying at higher altitudes.

You looked over your shoulder to an openly scowling Floyd. And yet, the fact that he was still walking with you towards the sports field showed he wasn’t as opposed to the entire ordeal as he made it appear. A part of you hoped you had played a role in that.

It had been a few weeks since you first started helping the eels with their flying lessons. If their flying results were any indication, you could say you made a pretty good teacher. Both eels had been improving rapidly. You could even start calling them proper flying-fish.

They were nearly at the level expected of a first year student.

“Why does Azul always get an exemption while we have to attend these classes?”

“If you want to go back to the dorm, go right ahead. I heard Azul wanted to work on a new skin lotion...” Jade let the sentence hang in the air. You had no idea what he was on about, but Floyd obviously did. The color drained from his face while his eyes went big as saucers.

“I’m not doing that again. Next would be your turn, Jade.”

As the two bickered, you looked up at the sky again. The clouds that had ominously hung around the castle were rapidly disappearing, leaving behind a purple-blue haze. _Strange._ Redirecting your gaze back down, you noticed a few people had already gathered at the sports field. “Guys, we’re nearly there.”

Despite how bad the weather had been that morning, class hadn’t been cancelled. On the contrary, it was extremely busy. You thought there were more students than normal.

Your thoughts seemed to be confirmed when Vargas split up the class into smaller groups

“Al-Asim, Viper! Today you’re flying with the eels.”

 _Is that a new expression for ‘swimming with the fishes’?_ You shook your head to clear away the thought, as you focused on the two students walking up to you.

“Kalim, Jamil! Didn’t expect you here,” you greeted them, genuinely wondering what they were doing here. As far as you knew, neither needed extra flying practice. Seeing them here was a little odd.

“Some of our students were failing class, so we came to give them some moral support!” Kalim beamed at you. “I hadn’t expected there to be this many people, though. They probably won’t see us. But that’s okay. Come, Jamil, let’s take to the sky!” In a flash he was gone. Part of you wondered if it was safe for Kalim to fly this fast with this many people around. Class had barely started and most students were still huddled close together.

You shook your head. The Scarabia dorm leader was known for flying around on a carpet. He should be fine flying a broom alone.

Which brought you to Jamil.

From the corner of your eyes you saw his gaze follow Kalim, while he himself stood rooted to the ground, eyes shining with a light you couldn’t place. Something about him was... Off…

“And you’re here because...” You winced at your tone. Even to your own ears you sounded suspicious.

If Jamil minded, he didn’t let it show. Without taking his eyes off the energetic youth he answered matter-of-factly, “just keeping an eye on Kalim.”

Looking over to try and read his face better, you were just in time to see Jamil’s eyes grow wide. The next moment you heard Kalim fly straight into another student, sending both of them crashing to the ground.

A soft chuckle came from your right. “I’m not sure if he’s better or worse than us,” Jade whispered into your ear.

Before you could reply, Jamil walked up to the three of you and sought out your gaze. “With Kalim being,” he made a vague hand gesture in Kalim’s direction, “enthusiastic as he is, could you keep a… close eye on him?”

As you looked into Jamil’s eyes - _grey as rain clouds_ , you thought - a strange sense of serenity came over you. A fuzzy feeling took hold as you felt like you were being wrapped in a warm blanket. A voice resounded in your mind. _Yes, you want to help. You’ll watch over him. Protect him. Right?_

Before you could answer, a shadow stepped in front of you, blocking your view of Jamil. Instantly, the fuzzy feeling was gone.

“We’re not here for him. You watch over him!” Floyd sounded… angry. Not simply annoyed. His entire stance was threatening as you felt magic well up around you. You could hardly believe this was the same person who had been complaining about having to attend class.

You thought you heard Jamil mutter “why isn’t it working,” when Floyd quickly dragged you down the field away from the Scarabia student. “You’d teach us to fly higher today. So. Let’s. Go!”

“I’m flying higher! See? If we go near this tree...”

“Floyd, not so fast, you’ll…!”

Before you could finish your warning, Floyd had launched himself into the tree he had tried to use as a height indicator. You shook your head. _Maybe I’ll go get an altimeter. One that can also do a full body scan while we’re at it._ With how often the twins tried to challenge both each other as well as the laws of physics, you feared they would either bruise or break something sooner rather than later.

Of course you could check up on them using magic, but keeping those spells in place would eat at your magic reserves as well as your concentration.

And frankly, your concentration skills were being tested today.

You truly started to wonder if Jamil had ever done something to the eels - maybe steal a recipe from Mostro Lounge or something. Every time Kalim or Jamil would get close to you, either of the twins would try to get your attention one way or another. It got so bad that you could hardly keep track of where all four students were at the same time.

While you tried to keep an eye on Floyd - who was to your left, dangerously close to one of the pine trees - Jamil called out to you for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. “Have you seen Kalim?”

Your eyes scanned the sky, but you couldn’t find the youth.

“I think I saw him crash into a Heartslabyul student across the field,” Jade’s voice cut in. “More importantly,” he directed his gaze at you, “who is currently flying higher?”

“I am,” a voice called from above you.

At least that answered the question where everyone was.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and let your eyes scan the scenery around you, desperately trying to find something, anything, to distract you from the slight headache that was slowly developing.

A blue flame floating on the lake beyond the sports field caught your attention. _Is that a will-o-wisp? In broad daylight?_

“Guys,” you called out, “Take five. I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for an answer, you flew towards the edge of the sports field, eyes never leaving the blue flame.

It was only when you got closer that you thought you recognized the Ignihyde dorm leader riding a metallic shark like thing through the lake, holding on like no tomorrow. The shark, meanwhile, was moving left and right, as if it was trying to throw off its rider.

“Oh my, if it isn’t Idia down there,” Jade spoke from your left.

“What?” You knew what you were seeing, sort of, but it just didn’t make sense for Idia - who was notorious for disliking any form of exercise - to willingly ride a… something in the lake. You winced when the thing beneath him made a sharp right before speeding up again. It looked quite taxing on the rider’s body. You imagined your broom making those movements and shuddered.

“I wouldn’t have expected them to train for Vargas’ swimming competition.” Jade’s lips twisted into a lopsided grin. “Not that any second year can beat Floyd or myself,” he said, his tone mocking.

You grinned. “You guys are at an advanta-”

“Watch out!” Kalim’s voice came from your right. It was only because of your reflexes that you flew out of his way, barely managing to pull Jade with you.

Sighing, you glanced back at Jade. “I honestly do not know if he needs more guidance or more patience...”

A chuckle was the only response you got.


End file.
